A masked Sunni Muslim gunman takes position with his weapon during clashes with Iraqi security forces outside Falluja

A masked Sunni Muslim gunman takes position with his weapon during clashes with Iraqi security forces outside the city of Falluja, 70 km (44 miles) west of Baghdad, January 19, 2014. Iraqi Sunni Muslim tribesmen backed by police special forces and helicopter gunships attacked al Qaeda-linked militants in the nearby city of Ramadi on Sunday, but halted the assault after at least eight of their number were killed, police and health officials said. There was no word on casualties among the militants. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, an al Qaeda offshoot also fighting in Syria, and its local allies overran parts of Ramadi, as well as Falluja, on January 1 after security forces broke up a Sunni protest camp near Ramadi and arrested an outspoken Sunni lawmaker. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT)